FOLEY – Relief supplies for victims of Hurricane Milton went from Foley to Florida on Friday, Oct. 18, following a week of collection efforts.

City employees and volunteers loaded vehicles at the Foley United Methodist Church. The supplies included material purchased with funds provided by the Foley City Council and items donated by the public. Collections began Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said Foley residents and employees understand the experience of needing assistance after a storm.

“Foley has been blessed in many ways over the years,” Hellmich said. “We have received help ourselves after experiencing the effects of disasters. Our helping our neighbors in Florida is the right thing to do.”

The mayor praised the efforts by employees and volunteers to help those neighbors.

“A big thank you to our team for delivering those supplies,” he said.

Church members helped with the collection effort and provided a drop-off site and storage for the materials during the collection effort.

After loading was completed, the vehicles set out for a collection point in Tampa, Florida. 

The convoy included two Foley Police Department vehicles, two Public Works Department vehicles and a rented covered truck driven by Public Works Department and Parks Department employees, which carried the donated supplies. 

The group was scheduled to deliver the supplies in Florida before returning to Foley on Saturday.